Updating . .
CEO of huge L.A. County pension fund ousted amid tensions and questions -- The chief executive of Los Angeles County’s massive pension fund has been ousted, following a closed-door meeting earlier this month. The reason for termination of Lou Lazatin, who served as chief executive of the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Assn., wasn’t announced publicly. But her attorney said that she was “cut off at the knees” by male colleagues. Matt Stiles in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/24/19
PG&E owns land across California. What will happen to it? -- If Ken Holbrook has his way, the Humbug Valley, a sprawling tract of alpine meadow high in the northern Sierra, will become California’s first American Indian tribal cultural park. That distinction doesn’t yet exist, but it would apply to tribal land open for public recreation. Spencer Silva in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/24/19
Safety, Competition Concerns Raised Over Proposed Sale of Major California Oil Pipeline -- A leading safety expert says California regulators should give careful scrutiny to the proposed purchase of a pipeline that carries crude petroleum to four Bay Area oil refineries because of the prospective buyer's record of oil spills. Ted Goldberg KQED -- 6/24/19
Getting ready for recession, California’s $215 billion budget fills reserves -- Stung by severe cuts to services in the Great Recession, California lawmakers are riding the state’s booming economy to put more money than ever into savings accounts meant to soften the hurt of the next downturn. They just don’t know if it’s enough. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/24/19
California governor: "Xenophobic" GOP will be 3rd party -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom told "Axios on HBO" that it’s highly likely Republicans will wind up as a third party nationally in 10 to 15 years because of their "xenophobia" and "hyper-masculinity." Newsom runs America’s largest state, one in which non-whites are the majority. California has sued the Trump administration a record 50 times, making Newsom the de facto leader of the Democratic resistance. Jim VandeHei Axios -- 6/24/19
California's governor warns Big Tech could be "steamrolled" -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom warned in an interview for "Axios on HBO" that his state’s Big Tech giants — Google, Facebook and others — will soon get "steamrolled" by federal regulations, and deserve to be hit with new restrictions on their wealth and reach. Jim VandeHei Axios -- 6/24/19
How the fight against climate change is exacerbating San Diego’s affordable housing crisis -- Environmental laws make backcountry developments all but impossible, while developers say urban projects often don’t pencil out. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/24/19
San Diego hash oil labs growing in sophistication, but who’s behind them? -- With 19 illicit hash oil labs shut down so far in 2019, the DEA’s Narcotic Task Force is on pace to find the most labs since 55 were discovered in San Diego County in 2014. Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/24/19
Famed snowboarder gunned down in L.A. His killer went on to shoot a cop, police say -- Dmitry Koltsov spent most of his life with two feet planted on a board. His ability to pull off precise tricks and flips while vaulting through the air on a snowboard earned him a place on the podium at Russian championship meets and international competitions. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/24/19
Man on scooter dies after colliding with woman riding scooter on Mission Beach boardwalk -- A man died after colliding with a woman while both rode electric Lime scooters on the Mission Beach boardwalk in San Diego, authorities said. The crash was reported at about 1:35 p.m. Sunday on Ocean Front Walk near Santa Barbara place, San Diego police Officer Robert Heims said. The item is in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/24/19
Shoppers at a Costco in Corona struggle with deadly shooting in a food-tasting line -- The Costco store in Corona was busy as usual on Thursday afternoon. Families were taking home large pizzas and rotisserie chickens for dinner and hauling away packs of toilet paper and paper towels to last the month. Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/24/19
Breed appoints task force to review SF Muni service, recommend improvements -- As San Francisco’s transit chief prepares to step down, Mayor London Breed and other City Hall politicians are taking ownership of the city’s stumbling light-rail and bus system. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/24/19
Homeless people protest SF collecting their belongings -- From the city’s perspective, it’s a cleanup. Starting at 4:30 a.m. every day, Department of Public Works crews drive to known hot spots throughout San Francisco, picking up needles, furniture and debris that would otherwise clutter the sidewalk. To many homeless people and their advocates, it’s theft. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/24/19
Fox: Two California Images -- Is California a shining star of social togetherness, booming economy, and an envy to the world or a place that’s too expensive to live or do business while suffering with ugly problems of homelessness, disease, filth and poverty? Both pictures contain truth and the public relations feud over the state’s image is in high gear. Just ask Governor Newsom. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 6/24/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
After Trump’s threat of immigration raids, San Jose police chief and mayor reassure community -- Less than a day after President Donald Trump postponed nationwide immigration raids that were planned for Sunday, San Jose’s police chief and mayor reassured nearly 500 members of a Spanish-speaking church that local police won’t participate in federal immigration enforcement. Thy Vo in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/24/19
Threats of ICE sweep – sooner or later – have Southern California immigrant community on edge -- President Donald Trump’s announcement last week that “millions of illegal aliens” would be rounded up on Sunday, June 23 sent panic through Southern California’s immigrant community. News that he delayed the sweep for a couple of weeks did little to lessen fears. Beau Yarbrough in the Orange County Register -- 6/24/19
Secret files reveal details of police shooting that helped trigger 2012 Anaheim rioting -- The beginning of the end for Caesar Ray Cruz came in the form of an email sent by an Anaheim gang cop to his colleagues on a rainy, windy afternoon in December 2009. Tony Saavedra and Ian Wheeler in the Orange County Register -- 6/24/19
Big Sur park rangers fatally shoot armed man --Rangers at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park responding to reports of gunfire late Saturday fatally shot a man with a gun, according to California State Parks. No one was injured by the man’s bullets, a parks spokesman said in an emailed statement. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, the spokesman said, adding that the man’s identity was not available as of Sunday night. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/24/19
Ventura County cities plan return to Southern California Edison for some energy accounts -- Cities across Ventura County are moving some energy accounts back to Southern California Edison, the investor-owned utility they left in pursuit of greener power. Arlene Martinez in the Ventura County Star -- 6/24/19
Horse deaths at Santa Anita may have implications for entire racing industry -- There was a spike in horse fatalities during races at the track, more than 20 dead in about three and a half months. Abnormal weather was one possible cause. There was scrutiny on whether horsemen were pressured to race more horses, because fuller fields help maximize profits. John Cherwa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/24/19
Santa Anita season ends after 30 horse deaths, trainer ban -- Santa Anita’s troubled racing season has come to a close after the deaths of 30 horses at the Southern California track rattled the industry and led to Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer being banned when four of his horses were among the casualties. Beth Harris Associated Press -- 6/24/19
Caltrans is paying for top official’s San Diego-to-Sacramento flights, and her apartment -- The state has been reimbursing Director Laurie Berman, who announced she is stepping down this month, for regular flights between the cities and paying most of her rent at a Sacramento duplex, according to travel expense claims and reimbursements The Sacramento Bee obtained under the Public Records Act. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/24/19
Skelton: California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s not-so-spectacular, not-so-horrible, OK state budget -- Gavin Newsom has reached an important milestone in his reign as California’s rookie governor. He has produced his first state budget. So far, OK. Nothing spectacular. Nothing horrible. But OK. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/24/19
Walters: Arbitrary tax policy spawns an offspring -- History has proven that no political decrees are more arbitrary than those about taxation. We hear a lot about “tax fairness,” but what is taxed and the level of that taxation follow no logical or moral course. Rather, those decisions are driven by ideology, political clout and the perceived need for revenue. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 6/24/19
‘The epitome of what a Hornet is’: Hundreds attend vigil for Tara O’Sullivan at Sac State -- A group of female police officers marched into the grassy outdoor theater at Sacramento State, abruptly stopped and turned toward the stage. “If seeing hundreds of female police officers doesn’t touch you, you don’t have a heart,” said the school’s president, Robert Nelsen. Meghan Bobrowsky in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/24/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Georgia's abortion ban forces political reckoning among TV and film workers -- Zombies lurk beyond the train tracks. They have been here for years, working under lights, swatting mosquitoes, bringing eerie charm to streets of gothic homes and magnolia. Tourists come from as far away as Japan to glimpse the set of “The Walking Dead,” which has become a neighbor in this town of Bible school classes and soft-serve ice cream. Jeffrey Fleishman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/24/19
Homeless
Schnur: We need to break down root causes of California’s homeless crisis to find solutions -- It has become impossible to walk down the streets of our largest cities and not be overwhelmed by the apparent hopelessness of the state’s homeless crisis. Which means we can either throw up our hands in despair, or we break down this one immense catastrophe into several discrete and more manageable parts. Dan Schnur in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/24/19
Education
Call for historic mission bell removal begins at UC Santa Cruz -- “If you know where we come from, this is huge.” UC Santa Cruz graduate Julisa Lopez, standing before a crowd of more than 150 people Friday morning, said she was thankful for the ceremony that was about to occur. Jessica York in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/24/19
Building blocks: California’s proposed early education legislation -- California is on the brink of making huge investments in young children. EdSource is tracking 27 early childhood bills introduced in the Legislature this session that focus on a host of issues, from expanding paid family leave to improving access to preschool. Zaidee Stavely EdSource -- 6/24/19
Cannabis
Humboldt County threatened cannabis fines. They were growing peaches and tomatoes -- County’s cannabis abatement program looks for greenhouses, asks questions later. Shomik Mukherjee in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/24/19
20 tons of illegal cannabis seized near Buellton in Santa Barbara County, authorities say -- Authorities from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department last week seized about 20 tons of cannabis and 350,000 plants on a plot of land outside Buellton in the Santa Ynez Valley after a two-month investigation into a fraudulent growing operation, officials said. Nicole Santa Cruz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/24/19
Also . . .
‘Life-changing’: Why some San Franciscans are crazy about electric unicycles -- “Are you from the future?” passersby call out as Kevin Grandon glides along San Francisco streets on a $2,000 electric unicycle, his primary mode of transportation. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/24/19
Across L.A., ‘fancy scooters’ are a thing. But in parts of the San Fernando Valley, not so much -- When the Los Angeles City Council debated the ordinance that would eventually regulate electric scooters and bikes in the city, L.A. City Councilwoman Nury Martinez appeared determined to make sure often-overlooked communities in the San Fernando Valley wouldn’t miss out on the latest transportation alternative. Ethan Varian in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 6/24/19
POTUS 45
Exclusive: Leaked Trump vetting docs -- Nearly 100 internal Trump transition vetting documents leaked to "Axios on HBO" identify a host of "red flags" about officials who went on to get some of the most powerful jobs in the U.S. government. The massive trove, and the story behind it, sheds light on the slap-dash way President Trump filled his cabinet and administration, and foreshadowed future scandals that beset his government. Jonathan Swan, Juliet Bartz, Alayna Treene, Orion Rummler Axios -- 6/24/19
AP Fact Check: Obama is a silent partner in Trump’s boasts -- President Donald Trump has a silent partner behind several of the accomplishments he likes to boast about: Barack Obama. Despite assailing his Democratic predecessor for waging a “cruel and heartless war on American energy,” for example, Trump can brag about U.S. energy supremacy thanks to the sector’s growth in the Obama years. Hope Yen and Calvin Woodward Associated Press -- 6/24/19
Beltway
2020 turning point: New phase in race tests Dem aggression -- The unwritten rules that have so far prevented the Democratic presidential contest from devolving into all-out conflict are about to be tested. Steve Peoples Associated Press -- 6/24/19
-- Sunday Updates
Fentanyl rising as killer in San Francisco — 57 dead in a year -- Fentanyl, the synthetic painkiller that is up to 100 times more potent than morphine and has ravaged drug users on the East Coast, appears now to be fully embedded on San Francisco’s streets, surpassing prescription pills and heroin as the leading cause of opioid overdose deaths in the city. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/23/19
Treat workers as employees? Uber, Lyft and others are scrambling for a compromise -- Faced with a looming threat to their way of doing business, Uber, Lyft and other major on-demand companies are trying something they’ve historically been reluctant to do: seeking compromise. Johana Bhuiyan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/23/19
Nipsey Hussle’s death unified Crips and Bloods in grief. Now, peace talks carry on his call -- The men arrived in twos and threes, Crips and Bloods, young and middle-aged, gathering around a picnic table in a Compton park to confront their sworn enemies. After two hours of negotiations on a chilly, overcast Saturday in April, they came to an agreement — not a truce, exactly, but a tentative cease-fire. Nicole Santa Cruz and Cindy Chang in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/23/19
Trump keeps the threat of ICE raids and restates his demands. It’s a familiar tactic -- “I’m tired. I’m done,” said Carmen, an undocumented 17-year-old living in Los Angeles. “What else is he gonna tweet? Tomorrow is he gonna say, ‘Just kidding, we’re starting the raids again’?” Eli Stokols, Jennifer Haberkorn and Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/23/19
Dehesa School District profited by cultivating charter schools -- The duty to watchdog multiple charter schools involved in a recent alleged charter school scam lay on the shoulders of Dehesa School District, a tiny district that consists of a single elementary school with 138 students in the hills of east San Diego County. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/23/19
PG&E fire-safety shutdowns: ‘We’re all freaking out about it’ -- In a large office overlooking the San Francisco Bay Bridge, PG&E’s wildfire-safety analysts keep watch 24/7, monitoring streams of images and data from satellites, weather stations, forest cameras and emergency responders. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/23/19
As tech takes over city, SF Chamber of Commerce seeks to adapt -- Dusting figures in a wax museum isn’t a typical starting job for business leaders. But that was how Rodney Fong, the new CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, spent his early years. Melia Russell in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/23/19
Kaiser’s partnership deal for Warriors arena plaza could hit $295 million -- Kaiser Permanente isn’t saying how much it’s paying the Golden State Warriors to call the area around the team’s new San Francisco arena Thrive City for the next 20 years — but according to an internal document obtained by The Chronicle, the total for the naming rights and other costs could hit $295 million. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/23/19
California’s high court walks high wire on initiatives, 2 ex-justices say -- California voters will decide next year whether to keep requiring cash bail for release from jail before trial. Voters may also decide whether to ease the state’s restriction on local rent control and whether to impose a five-year limit on alimony payments. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/23/19
Westside theater and restaurant patrons may have been exposed to measles, officials say -- Two people with measles who visited a Brentwood restaurant and a Westwood theater earlier this month may have exposed others to the contagious disease, Los Angeles County health officials warned this weekend. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/23/19
Who is Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris? -- Harris is the biracial daughter of immigrants who met at the University of California, Berkeley, and were active in the civil rights movement. “I was raised by parents who spent full time marching and shouting about this thing called justice and fighting for equality,” she said at a recent forum on poverty in Washington, D.C. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/23/19
Border apprehensions: Looking to the past to understand the current spike in illegal crossings -- In May, the number of people caught by Border Patrol while crossing the southwest border reached a high not seen in 13 years, since March 2006. Kate Morrissey in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/23/19